NEWSMAKERS.

Fox Moves `X-files' To Sunday Nights

May 22, 1996|By Steve Johnson.

A day after ABC announced a preliminary fall prime-time lineup, Fox did the same Tuesday with news Rupert Murdoch's network will move "The X-Files"--a surprise hit--from Friday nights to 8 p.m. Sundays. It will knock "Married . . . with Children" out of its longtime home.

Joining "X-Files" and "The Simpsons" on the Sunday schedule: a new series, "L.A. Firefighters," a one-hour ensemble action drama (about guess what occupation) at 6 p.m. and "Ned and Stacey" (7:30 p.m.), a sitcom that debuted last fall.

The aging "Married" moves to 8 p.m. Saturday, where it joins returning "Cops" and a new sitcom, "Come Fly with Me," about a working-class New York family. "Melrose Place" and "Beverly Hills 90210" return to Monday and Wednesday homes. Fox also will keep critically acclaimed "Party of Five" in the 8 p.m. Wednesday slot after "90210."

The most intriguing Fox newcomers are the Monday sitcom "Party Girl," starring Christine Taylor in the Parker Posey role from last year's popular independent feature; and "Millennium," a new hourlong drama from Chris Carter, the "X-Files" creator. This is about a member of a task force working to halt the decline of humanity as the millennium approaches, which will air in the 8 p.m. Friday slot vacated by "X-Files."

Key absences for Fox include "Partners," a freshman comedy that drew critical praise but few viewers, and "Space: Above and Beyond," a sci-fi action series that a last-minute viewer campaign failed to save.

- ABC's announcement had the surprising news that "Murder One," the praised but little-watched Steven Bochco drama that debuted this season, would return without Daniel Benzali in the lead.

Also for ABC, Michael J. Fox re-enters the TV arena in a sitcom about a New York City deputy mayor called "Spin." Molly Ringwald will star in a sitcom about New England friends, "Townies," and "thirtysomething" producers Marshall Heskovitz and Ed Zwick return with "Relativity," a dramatic series tracing a relationship.